Nothing inspires your green thumb like a gorgeous garden. The 2011 Lake Forest Infant Welfare Showhouse & Gardens at Thorndale Manor earns merit as much for its landscape design as interiors. Originally designed by renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen, the grounds at Thorndale Manor reflect the same vision and talents Jensen expressed when creating Humboldt […]
In honor of Memorial Day later this month, Make It Better is interviewing local veterans every week during May. This week, we feature Morey Coleman. At 28, Coleman was drafted in March of 1943 to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. After training, he serviced tanks overseas in the 126th Armored Ordinance […]
Italy, India and Bali might have been best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert’s preferred locales—but an equally enlightening vacation awaits much closer to home in Lake Geneva, Wisc. And even if you visited last summer, you’re in for some surprises. We’ve got the scoop on what’s new and happening this year! Eat: Boatyard Bagels 846 Main St. […]
You might love it—riding a motorcycle, that is. I started riding in the 1970s when women motorcyclists were unheard of, especially on a track racing Harleys. In 2011, women account for 23 percent of all Americans who ride motorcycles, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. That’s 5.7 million women that caught the riding bug like […]
Spring took its sweet time this year, but summer will soon come a-knocking. The season of barbecues, beach blankets, and ball games is also the best time to check out some great festivals in Chicago—and of course, in the “city of neighborhoods,” some of the best-loved street parties happen away from the big downtown marquee […]
Many parents want to get their kids into nature, and our area has some great locations that teach kids about nature and the environment. In turn, they hope children will someday have the skills and passion to preserve it. What’s the best part? Kids are excited and they’re having fun! Backyard Nature Center This organization […]
You can look your best on the court or green this summer. Kelly Daugherty of Inverness, along with Jayne Drew and Alyssa Pazdan of Barrington, recently launched Smashing, an apparel company specializing in slimming, figure-flattering golf and tennis clothing. “Most apparel in pro shops are designed for women with a 20-something body,” Pazdan says. […]
Jennifer Beals traded the torn, off-the-shoulder sweatshirt look from her “Flashdance” days for a buttoned-up uniform, playing the city’s first female police superintendent in Fox’s now-defunct “The Chicago Code.” Before making her mark as a steel worker by day/exotic dancer by night at age 19, Beals grew up mostly on Chicago’s South Side (though her […]
We know that children who read regularly do better in school. Reading develops imagination, intelligence and questioning skills during important developmental years. Here are some ideas to encourage daily reading as we head into summer. Create the Quiet Children live in a fast-moving, stimulus-laden environment. Create regular, quiet times for reading, with no computers, no […]
When former lovers get cast as romantic leads in a 1930s melodrama, the line blurs between fake lip-locking on stage and real smooching. “Stage Kiss” is the latest collaboration by director Jessica Thebus and playwright Sarah Ruhl; most recently, Thebus directed Ruhl’s stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando” at the Court Theatre. But “Orlando” and […]
